For anyone with a E-Savage looking to add a little bling, Kershaw Designs has their E-Savage Flame Chassis on their site for only $29! Come in silver, purple, or gunmetal, and is a direct replacement for the stock chassis.

Check out the all new Kershaw Designs Website for details. Make sure to tell them Big Squid RC sent ya!

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A press release from Novak mentioned that they are partnering with the Trans-Am: U.S. Vintage R/C Racing Association and releasing some special Havoc Brushless systems.

The new Havoc 2S / SS Pro Brushless System 25.5T VTA for only $129! They also have a Pro Ballistic Brushless System 25.5T VTA.

I’m really glad to see companies supporting the Vintage Racing series. I think it’s really a good class, and enjoyed the race I attended a while back. It’s a good place to start, with some really cool looking vehicles!

Visit Novak’s site for all the details.

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Just saw over on the HPI Racing Europe site, the new Pulse 4.6 1/8 scale buggy. It has the K4.6 engine from the Savage X (.28) and comes RTR. The buggy is trying to find a place between entry-level RTR’s and the super high end kits. It has a 3mm chassis, hex hardware, low CG, rubber sealed bearings, and it looks like it can be a pretty good contender.

Drop by the official HPI Racing site for more information.

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HPI Racing has officially licensed replica wheels from Work. Work makes some of the strongest and lightest wheels for the real world race vehicles. They have all sorts of sizes to fit most HPI vehicles.

Drop by the official HPI Racing site for more information.

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HPI Racing is releasing their own Mini Fail Safe unit. It plugs between the throttle servo and receiver. Just press the set button while holding the throttle in a position (like brake) where you want it to be when/if you loose your connection.
Take my word for it.. if you run nitro, you really should use a fail safe!

Drop by the official HPI Racing site for more information.

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Saw this over on our good Italian friends site Modellismo Hobby Media who have some pics from the Nurnberg show. It looks like HPI is going to be releasing a 1/18th scale Savage called the Savage Dwarf! Odds are good that’s just the European name, it will probably be called something like the Savage Mini here in the USA, if it comes here. It looks a LOT like the Hot Bodies Minizilla! But that’s a good thing, I love my Minizilla, and would gladly take a little bit more durable Savage version!

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Aww Yea! Now this is what I need. New from HPI Racing is the Aluminum wheel hex hub 24mm set. This set will allow savage owners to mount Baja 5B wheels and tires to their trucks! My Flux plus these bad boys, 5B paddles, and it’s snow action time! These are like a basher’s dream right here!

Drop by the official HPI Racing site for more information.

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The new high torque SF-50 Servo from HPI Racing is a replacement for the SF-5 that comes with most HPI trucks and buggies. It’s got metal gears, and the power needed for vehicles like the Savage Flux and Vorza Flux, and is ready to drop right in. Specs 6.0v, 0.18sec/60, 12kg with a Futaba J Connector and Metal Output Gear.

Drop by the official HPI Racing site for more information.

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When we got our HPI Racing Blitz truck in the standard orange, we thought it was one of the best stock paint jobs we had ever seen on a RTR vehicle! The flat black pain, the bright orange, it just looked amazing.
Now HPI has introduced the ATTK-10 bodies splashed with “Art Series” paint and graphics! Check these things out! There is a black/white version and then more of a white/black version. Both look sweet!

Drop by the official HPI Racing site for more information.

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With prices coming down on the 2.4ghz radio technology, I’m glad to see companies like HPI Racing start to include these radio’s in their RTR vehicles. The HPI Baja 5T and 5B now come stock with 2.4ghz radio systems! Look for the 2.4 on the box! The 5B and 5T are pretty much the standard in 1/5 scale bashing lately. I own and 5B and it’s awesome!!

Drop by the official HPI Racing site for more information

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This looks like a basher from the start! The new HPI Racing Bullet ST 3.0 has just been announced. They just posted images and information over on the HPI Europe site. They have a 4wd shaft drive train, 2 shocks per wheel, and a double deck aluminum chassis. The trucks will come with a Nitro Star 3.0 (.15) nitro engine, OR a Flux Brushless motor system! How awesome is that?! A Mini Flux! Sign me up!

No pics of the electric version all installed.

Drop by the official HPI Racing Europe site for more information

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We have updated the RC Reviews section with the HPI Racing Blitz Review for all those that are looking to get into the 2wd short course scene! It’s a great truck, and one that should really be considered if you are thinking about picking up a new vehicle!

Head over, or click a picture to read the full review!

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With HPI releasing their new Crawler King, RC4WD has re-released their hardened steel transmission gear set. This is welcome news to the offroad, bashing, and crawling crowds.

Check out this product and more from RC4WD’s web site.

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Since we know how much you guys love the unboxing pictures, and since we just got our HPI Racing Blitz Short Course Truck, guess what time it is! You guessed it, it’s unboxing picture time!

The paint job is pretty sweet right out of the box. The orange is a great color, and it’s hard to tell, but the rear sloped engine area is painted a flat black, and it feels like it’s on the outside. Time will tell if it scrapes off, but it’s a really cool look!

Click HERE to see the rest of the photos with the body off.
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Long time no see, but welcome back to yet another edition of the industries most litigated opinion column, THE Cub Report.

So what’s the scoop on some of the newest product releases? Well, let’s just dive right in.

RPM is in the Big Squid RC Basher Approved hall of fame. They are one of the few companies that actually have their heads screwed on right, making good looking, good fitting, and no hassle product. Well, they recently shot out pics of their new Slash rear bumper/Mud Flap combos. Awesome, just awesome! I hope they sell a zillion of them. One step closer to realism, with the uber reliability of RPM. If you’ve been watching the 1:1 Torc series races on ESPN, you’d notice the only major cosmetic difference between your Slash and those racing on tv is the lack of mudflaps. The RPM bumper/mupflap combo is just what your Slash needs.

Seen the new Traxxas teaser video? Pretty much any type of “teaser” makes me want to have rabid multi-orfice fun with a porcupine excited now days. With that said, I give the new Traxxas teaser vid a B-. Slick production, but just slightly above average as far as general hype goes. I figured they would have waited to unveil their new beast at iHobby, as you could do one hell of a cool intro in front of the masses, but I hear they’ll be unveiling yet another platform at the show.

Big Props go out to Traxxas and RC Pro Series for their support of Rick “Too Hip” Johnsons Torc series. Awesome tracks, all the big name players, decent tv package, and Traxxas is plastered everywhere. Most media exposure ever for our industry. Even if you aren’t into short course racing, try to catch one of the 1:1 Torc races on the tube.

Horizon released info on a left hand thread kit for their 8 and 8T series of 8th scalers. What this boils down to is a few left hand screws for 5 bucks that should have been a running change on the new kits, but are being sold as a hop up. The HPI/Hot Bodies 8 series buggies and truggy come standard with these, cost far less, and won the worlds last year. Hummmm… wonder what the better value is.

Speaking of HPI/Hot Bodies- their Blitz’s are almost here! Get on the pre-order list at your LHS ASAP.

RC Pro Products released info on their uber new 8th scale wheel wrench. Nice to see a product designed by actual common sense racers, built to last, works correctly, that doesn’t empty the bank account. Quality tools are worth their weight in gold, thankfully, the RC Pro Products have all the quality but not the insane price tag.

Every JConcepts body I’ve ever seen looked uber trick. All their bodies for “race” type vehicles are really cool. Sadly, JConcepts has released pics of their new Slash body called the BAJR. Lets say you took the top off a VW body, the rear off a quad racer body, and the front off a Herbst truggy body, then molded them all into one- then you’d have the JConcepts BAJR. Wow. Like, you gotta be kidding me kinda fugly. If you want to turn your good looking Slash in a sort of Martian Turd looking machine, the BAJR is the body for you. Excuse me while I wash my eyes out with battery acid.

Well folks, you made it to the end of yet another Cub Report. Thanks for reading, and please get out and support your LHS’s and local tracks.

Your Cub Reporter

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What seems like one of the most anticipated buggy releases in a long time, the Hot Bodies Ve8 buggy has arrived for it’s unboxing ceremony!
Here are some of the first photo’s of what you can look forward to when yours arrives!

Wow, a true kit! Haven’t seen one of these in a long time! It doesn’t even come with tires! First reaction, the chassis is good and stiff. No flexing this with your bare hands. We were not really expecting that, but glad to see it. It’s going to take a few days to build up, and I’ll make sure to post photos as we go.

Make sure to visit Hot Bodies Online for details or where to get yours!

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Wow, these new True Ten Scale cup racers from HPI Racing look awesome! This is the new 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 2.8 Version! The are meant to have incredible detail as you can see, and are part of the push from HPI for “True Ten Scale: True Looks, True Engineering”, and I have to say I’m a big fan. I really like the fact that RC is getting back to the realistic look for vehicles. These come as kit versions ready for racing, and as a drift version as well!

Drop by the official HPI Racing site for more information

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Known for brewing some of the best out there, HPI Racing drops the Vorza smack in the laps of the racers! Tossed into the mix and able to tackle the harshest of demands is their bulletproof drive train consisting of front universals, front, center, and rear fluiud filled differentials all transferring the proven power of the Flux ESC and tork motor from the Savage Flux HP through a hardened spur and pinion gear! LiPO ready, accepting 4c to 6c packs the Vorza is capable of speeds over 80mph when using optional gearing and chassis set up!

Did I mention that all you need to do is provide the batteries, NiCd all the way to dual 3c LiPO and a charger since it comes with all the electronics you need including a BEC!

Drop by HPI Racing for more info and look for these on the tracks near you!

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Well I’m back from a one week hiatus, after taking a much needed break from the depths of rc mongering.

Rumors, rumors, rumors, don’t you love them?

Rumor is Traxxas will be introducing an uber rock crawler at this falls I-Hobby show.

Rumor has it that Associated B5/T5 platform is much closer than you think.

Rumor has it that a forced apology from BigSquidRC to a certain sanctioning body should not have been made.

Rumor has it that Kimi Raikkonen is actually a vodka/ice cream loving human robot.

Rumor has it that Formula 1 will be returning to the North American continent in 2010.

Rumor has it that BigSquidRC has not received enough entries in it’s “Tore Up” photo contest, a contest that showcases rc cars/trucks after they have been crashed.

Remember a few weeks ago that I mentioned that each new week brings an ugly body to the rc market? Caught a glance at the new Robotronics EB-1 buggy? Wow. I mean seriously? Holy cow, just when you think rc cars can’t get any uglier, that old record gets shattered.

Another new entry to the market that has a less than stellar looking body is the Hot Bodies Ve8. While it’s body isn’t nearly as ugly as most, it reminds me more of a UFO than an off road buggy body. Thankfully, underneath it’s less than handsome shell is a lot of new era 8th scale brushless tech. The major difference between the HB Ve8 and the rest of the 8th scale brushless crowd is it’s chassis, as HB has elected to go with plastic, instead of the heavier metal norm. And much like the HPI Blitz, the Ve8 is receiving a very warm reception from the internet pundits. A company known mainly for it’s Savage the last half decade, HPI/Hot Bodies now has a half dozen “hits” on it’s hands.

BigSquidRC/Leisure Hours Raceways Bash-A-Palooza went off last weekend without a hitch. Editor to the stars Brian S. ran a good program, and all the bashers in attendance seemed to have a great time going big and meeting other rc’ers. Huge thanks to all those that attended, Leisure Hours Raceways, and to all the events sponsors.

Word from those that cut the checks around here is that two more BigSquidRC events are in the works. Crawl-A-Palooza will showcase extreme rc rock crawling and is just beginning to come together. Take a normal gnarly rock course, throw in an 10 foot vertical drop and a string section, and you’ve got the makings for the most extreme crawling course ever. The second event, is also in the early planning stages. We’ll keep you informed as we get more information on these events.

How about that Ricky James? Who the hell is Ricky James you ask? Well, back in the day, he was a uber fast KTM factory motocross shoe. Ricky had to give up 2 wheels, and now he’s winning races on 4 in the Lucas Oil Off-Road Series. Oh, and in his free time, he’s out kicking a$$ in Ironman competitions, racing the Baja 500, and winning medals at the X-Games. Not bad for a 20 year old, especially one who no longer has the use of his legs. Props to you Ricky, I wish everyone had the heart and desire that you have.

Our Traxxas Slash LiPo Battery Shootout was a huge success. But, of course some of the keyboard mashing crowd had a few complaints. The largest complaint was, “Why didn’t we use similar capacity battery packs for the test?”. The answer is very simple- we didn’t ask the battery manufactures for a certain size pack, we asked them to submit whatever Li-po they thought would perform best under out test criteria in a Slash. The Slash was selected as the test platform simply because it’s the best selling truck on the market right now. There simply are more consumers looking for a battery pack for their Slash than any other rc car/truck.

That’s it for this week, so keep supporting your local tracks and LHS’s.

Your Cub Reporter

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HPI Racing first made its name in the mini market with the Micro-RS4. It’s been some time since the shrink ray has been out, but HPI is at it again with the Brama 18B Buggy. Just like big Brother, the Brama 10B, the 18B is loaded with features. A shaft drive 4wd system provides power to front and rear differentials for even power distribution. The whole drive train rides on smooth ball bearings. This little buggy gets the full RTR package. The prebuilt buggy includes everything you need to get going, just add AA batteries for the transmitter. The body and rear wing come pre-finished, painted and decaled. Knowing HPI, this little car will hold up against everything you throw at it. The center shaft is sealed, making maintenance a bit easier. It should start hitting the shelves mid September.

Check out the official HPI Racing web page for more info!

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